■ Review
The latest Sensei’s book ?Practical Philosophy of Bujutsu Ushiro Karate” impressed me very much. Reading this book allowed me to look deeper into the studying of bujutsu karate and inspired me for further self development. During my previous years of sport karate practice I’ve never heard about so many aspects of training. For example, I didn't realize the importance of the historical background of bujutsu, the social and cultural influence of the birthplace of karate.
Reading chapters about controlling ma and using three kinds of sen, which is connected with the Edo period and famous Japanese sword master Musashi Miyamoto, were really fascinating.
Importance of the inner form and all the information about kata practice contained in the book, give me great impact on my personal training. In the martial arts world, we can often compare the bujutsu practice to the climbing of the mountain. In the Sensei’s book there is the writing that when you approach towards peak and it seems to be close to you then another peak arises… I think it is a very beautiful and significant side of Ushiro Karate training, showing its enormous potential, which gives a chance for self improvement regardless of age and the level achieved so far. I’m very thankful to Sensei for sharing with us his knowledge and many years of experience by writing this important and inspiring book.（Poland MZ）
The strongest impression I got from reading “Ushiro Karate” was the sheer volume of information transmitted. Sensei is giving us multiple layers of meaning and I have to read and re-read each sentence to grasp what I can at my level. I feel like I will be reading it for the rest of my life and still benefit from the insights it provides.
Another impression is that just the act of reading and re-reading this book brings my attention away from the mundane and, I think, toward what Sensei refers to as the absolute. This, in turn, makes me want to practice more. I have started to carry the book with me as I move from room to room, even when I’m not reading it.
Very helpful for me at this stage is Sensei’s descriptions of the process of learning karate. I didn’t have a very clear picture of it before and now it is better. I expect that over time my understanding will become more fully developed. Naturally, I want to know where I fit into this process and what I need to do to make progress. Reading the book has inspired me to increase the time I spend practicing kata and sword, but I think I need more practical application to develop my inner kata.（Seattle GD)